Herrington Lake

[bucketmouth1981]

I'm heading down to Herrington tomorrow to try a little largemouth fishing, this is only my third trip there. This lake seems alot different and more difficult to me than most others around here. I have caught a few here and there, but never been able to get a pattern decent enough to share.

I'm not asking for specifics that people don't feel comfortable sharing, just any information to help make the trip more enjoyable and perhaps even productive. I release everything I catch. I have found some fish around the docks at night, but I have yet to find the areas that produce a ledge bite. I've caught a few here and there on plastics, mostly junebug trick worms and brush hogs, but they've been few and far between.

Anybody got any advice they don't mind sharing? If so I'll certainly post a report afterwards.

[Shimano4Life]

The only advice I have for you is to fish at night. Don't try to fish it during the day -- the water temps are too high. Once the sun sets and the surface temps begin to drop a few degrees, the bite will be ok. Herrington is a very tough lake to learn, but there are some toads to be caught there for sure.

[bucketmouth1981]

The only advice I have for you is to fish at night. Don't try to fish it during the day -- the water temps are too high. Once the sun sets and the surface temps begin to drop a few degrees, the bite will be ok. Herrington is a very tough lake to learn, but there are some toads to be caught there for sure.

Thanks Shimano. Unfortunately my schedule means I have to fish it in the afternoon...I may be able to stay an hour or so past dusk to try my hand at the night bite. Thanks for the advice, anyone else care to share any tips or insights? I'll probably leave to head out there this around 4 or so this afternoon.

[crappiepappy]

Find a bank that's shaded from the afternoon sun .... if you can't stay much after sundown.

If the traffic will let you, fish the main lake stairstep banks with plastic craw or worm .... down to around 25ft. Then, turn around and go back over the same stretch of bank ... and cast a deep diving crankbait, out away from but parallel to the bank. Works better at night, but if you can't stay that late, then working the banks with afternoon shade is your best bet.

If traffic won't let you fish the main lake .... pick a large creek & try there.

... pappy

[burt.fishin]

I agree with crappiepappy. but i would also try casting those worm and craws into cover(stickups, dead tree, and grassy pionts) ..... would love a report afterwords

[floatman]

Don't look for a ledge bite the hole lake has ledges, some small some are large, JUM that's what makes the lake so different, just about every time you lift the bait and let it fall it drops of a ledge of some type, 80% of the time I don't feel the tap I guess it is the way I let it fall, when I lift the bait for the first 6in I am filling for that mushy filling, if I do, I pull straight up, I get hung up every once in awile, but I catch a lot of fish that way,and everything pappy said, Ive been fishing that lake scene 82 and I have not found any grassy points, maybe buet will share with us, LOL......JMO

Gary

[redtail]

Grass?? Have never seen any there.

[flyfish]

Off topic from LM fishing, but has anyone seen any of the monster gar hanging around? I bowfished that lake quite a bit about 12 years ago and there used to be big longnose gar hanging in the floating timber. I've been thinking about going down to give it a try again.

.. k

[bucketmouth1981]

Got back around midnight...i'd have to say strike three for my third trip there. Launched under cloudy skies, began fishing right where we put in at Pandora. Fished back in Cane Run and then down to Taynard Branch. Saw LOTS of baitfish in the back of creeks. Water temp ranged from 84-86. Concentrated on shady banks and tried to find the stair-step ledges to key on. Threw different junebug, watermelon, and black/blue combo jigs and plastics...got a couple short fish after dark on watermelon/red trickworm and a junebug/red trickworm on a shaky head. Also tried a swimbait and a chatterbait around certain docks and banks in vain. Didn't get a single pull on a crankbait parallel to the banks we hit.

All in all, a beautiful evening to fish. Thanks for the help fellas, wish I had something of actual substance or a good fish story to share....maybe next time...

[bassman_ky]

If you got the smell of fish on your hands this time of year on Herrington it was not that bad of a nite. I have been skunked more times than I'd like to admit nite fishing Herrington. You could go out tonite and fish the same areas and catch 20. That's just Herrington this time of year. I wouldn't give up on it just yet.